Playtime Is Over: grime star Wiley returns to his underground roots

Last week saw the release of the long-awaited album from Wiley, leading protagonist of east London’s “grime” sound.

Grime is a distinctive genre that fuses together two strains of dance music – hip-hop and hardcore rave.

The sound is tightly bound to the scene that gave birth to it – in particular the underground culture of pirate radio, rivalry, and homemade mixtapes.

While Dizzee Rascal, grime’s biggest star, has distanced himself from the frictions of the scene, Wiley has returned to his roots with a vengeance – an early track on his new album is starkly titled “Bow, E3”.

The production is similarly geared towards underground authenticity rather than mainstream approval.